President Obama To Install Solar Panels On White House

The U.S. Energy Department of Energy and the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair announced  plans today to install solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House Residence. These two solar installations will be part of a Department of Energy demonstration project showing that American solar technologies are available, reliable, and ready for installation in homes throughout the country. The announcement was made during CEQ's 2010 GreenGov Symposium, which is bringing together leaders from federal, state, and local governments, nonprofit and academic communities, and the private sector to identify opportunities around greening the federal government.

The PV system will convert sunlight directly to electricity. The solar hot water heater will have a solar collector facing the sun that will heat water for use in the White House residence. The Department of Energy will now begin a competitive procurement process to select the company responsible for the installations.

Financial incentives are available to residents to offset the initial costs of installing solar energy systems, including a 30% federal tax credit and additional state, local, and utility incentive programs to encourage the deployment of renewable energy. Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency Web Site for additional information about state, local, and utility rebates for solar generation throughout the country.

The deployment of solar energy and other renewable energy sources will help expand U.S. clean energy manufacturing and create new jobs for American workers. As a result of investments under the Recovery Act, the solar energy industry is growing and solar resources can now be seen in communities nationwide. In the coming years, continued investments in innovation and cutting-edge solar technologies will help make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional electricity sources all across the country.

This announcement is made on the one-year anniversary of President Obama's Executive Order 13514 on Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, which called on the federal government to lead by example towards a clean energy economy and reduce, measure, and report direct and indirect greenhouse gas pollution. In support of this goal, the Department of Energy also released "Procuring Solar Energy: A Guide for Federal Facility Decision Makers" to support the use of solar energy throughout the federal government. The full guide. (DOE)